7 Habits of a Highly Healthy Personal Trainer

Have you ever wondered what a personal trainer really eats, how much exercise do they do and are they really that positive all of the time? This is my story from unmotivated, unfit, ‘pear shaped kid’ to inspiring personal trainer and what I really do behind the scenes to stay fit, healthy and happy.

‘It’s all right for you’

You might think it’s easy for me.  It all comes naturally. You’d be wrong.

When I was at school, I was unfit, out of shape and unmotivated to exercise. I had skinny arms, a paunch and I was ‘left-back’ (in the changing room) for the soccer team. In fact, a friend once wrote to me and said:

‘Who’d have thought that quiet pear shaped kid

in the corner would be a personal trainer’

They were one hundred percent right. If I was told at school, I would be a personal trainer, I would have laughed and then fainted. I was shy, unassuming and out of shape! That’s me on the left, looked ‘bushed’ in 1986, ‘I ran the World’ for Sport Aid.

I ran the World 1986

First workout

I got inspired to start exercising because I wanted a better body to meet girls. Vain but true. Whether we choose to admit it, we all want to look better, to feel better about ourselves, more so than to impress others.

I was way too intimidated to join a gym with all those good looking people so I purchased a set of Arnold Schwarzenegger home weights, stuck the charts on the wall and started ‘pumping iron’.  It wasn’t long before people noticed. “Have you been working out?’

My confidence grew.

I joined a gym with a friend and started to add in more exercise. Swimming, squash, bike riding and running. After completing a degree in Biological Science at University, I was finding it hard to get a job. Since I was training so much, I thought I might as well get a job in a gym. And so my career was born.

For years, I did have thoughts about getting a ‘real job’ but I came to realise, I love inspiring people to feel better and live a healthier life.

I am here to ‘make a difference’.

‘I can’t be bothered’

I am just like everyone else. I am no monk. Sometimes I can’t be bothered. I don’t want to exercise. I have had too many drinks and eaten too much. The key is a strong healthy, robust mind.

What I have learnt is to not let those feelings overwhelm us, take hold or set in for a long time. You must move past them quickly otherwise it does get too hard. This is easier said than done so one of the ways that makes it easier is to have a support from a coach because they keep you accountable and motivated whereas on your own it’s too easy to quit.

I have invested a lot of time, effort and focus on developing mental resilience with coaches, courses and reading books. I love Eighties movies and Rocky hit the nail on the head when he said:

‘It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit,

how much you can take and keep moving forward

– that’s how winning is done!’

It’s called resilience.

The world needs more resilience. The ability to do things you don’t feel like doing, when you know you should. To perceiver when the going get’s tough. The ability to get up when you fall or when you can’t be bothered’.

Staying positive

Most people would view me as a fairly positive guy. But I am not naturally positive, just like I was not naturally fit. I don’t wake up at 5am and bounce out of bed thinking ‘oh what I beautiful day!’ I work on it. For most people, myself included, it doesn’t just happen. It’s like being fit. Fitness is acquired through effort and exercise. So is a positive state of mind. You have to work on it and make conscious choices and not let things overwhelm you. To see the positives in tough times and do things that nurture your mental state.

My biggest tip for this is Gratitude. Being thankful for what is good in your life, instead of focusing on what’s not working and what you don’t have.  Gratitude is like fertiliser for the soul and a healthy mindset. More on this below.

The 7 habits of a highly healthy personal trainer.

I must be doing something right. I’m approaching 50 years old and fit. I can wear the same sized clothes from my twenties. I have no health problems and I am not on any medications. So let me share with you 7 habits I personally prioritise:

1. Water

I start my day with a glass of water, before consuming anything else. The body is made of predominantly water and we need it to be healthy and energised so I drink plenty of it.

2. Gratitude

As I begin my I day, I give thanks in my mind for all the great things in my life: my children, partner, my home, parents, friends, for being healthy and things I have done and achieved. This helps set me up mentally positive day. I also do this at the end of the day, as I go to sleep. Far better than going to bed worrying about life’s stresses.

3. Staying active

Everyday movement is equally, if not more important than exercise. I spend most of my day standing and/or walking around with clients. 10,000 steps is worth notching up and so is getting up frequently if you have a desk job.

4. Exercise

I don’t exercise as much as I use to. When I was in my twenties I would swim in the morning and in the afternoon after Uni bike ride to the gym and lift weights. These days I opt for moderate exercise. A mixture of jogging and lifting weights plus I love boxing and sparring. I also love bush walking, in nature. Connecting with nature rejuvenates us.

5. Eat well

I eat well in the week and I am more relaxed on the weekend when I eat pizza and enjoy baking and cooking. It really is about balance. I get quite turned off by people who say ‘I never eat carbs’ or turn down birthday cake at a party. My key tip for healthy eating success is planning and preparation – preparing food in advance for those busy long days in the week.

6. Alcohol

I have been through those phases of drinking a bottle of red a night but now I don’t really drink, virtually nothing more than one beer a week. I just got over it and I feel better for it. I think most people would benefit from drink socially and not drinking at home.

7. Prioritise ‘Self’

It’s all about prioritising ‘self’ – doing things that nurture our physical and mental wellbeing. Running my own business it is easy to work all of the time so I keep Sunday clear for relaxing and spending time with my partner. We must not work all of the time. We need time to relax, recharge and have fun to keep the flame of life burning bright. When we look after ‘self’ we feel good and life is more enjoyable. It’s that simple.

Progress not perfection

Just like you, I don’t get it right all of the time which is why my favourite piece of wisdom is ‘progress not perfection’. I do prioritise it because I value the returns and it’s been a focus for almost three decades. There’s no magic pill or secret short cut.  Small things done mostly well  – consistently… make a difference.

Thank you for reading.